Erick Esquivel
SANTA BARBARA COUNTY — The potential effects of methamphetamine use were once again made apparent early on the evening of February 11th when a 911 Emergency call made by the family of 23-year-old Santa Maria resident Erick Esquivel indicated they “were afraid of him” and suspected he was “under the influence of a controlled substance,” according to Santa Maria Police Department spokesman Lieutenant Schneider.
Santa Maria Police Department patrol units responded to the Esquivel home at approximately 6:30 p.m. and promptly made contact with Erick Esquivel, who was immediately confrontational, combative, and “refused to comply with their orders.”
Rather than discuss his feelings or why he was eliciting such fear from his own family, Esquivel took it upon himself to assert himself physically, “punching, kicking, and fighting with multiple officers.”
At one point, “Esquivel grabbed one of the officer’s microphone cords and wrapped it around the officer’s neck while attempting to strangle him with it.”
For those considering such a tactic for resisting arrest, it should be noted that things do not generally end well for non-uniformed individuals involved in such a fracas.
As noted by Schneider, “People routinely try to resist, but to resist in this way is unusual. We’re fortunate that we don’t have to be involved in fights that last three to four minutes every day.”
While the officer involved was transported to Santa Maria Medical Center for treatment and later released, Esquivel got a free ride to Santa Barbara County Jail, where he was booked on multiple charges, including attempted murder on a peace officer.
Photo: Courtesy Santa Barbara County Jail Booking
